1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to cable connectors each with a switching structure, and more particularly, to a cable connector equipped with a switching structure and intended for use with a power line or a signal line.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional cable connector connects a cable to any device. Due to technological advancement, plenty connectors are continually developed to enable users to perform quick connection, and increasingly great importance is attached to protection for cable connectors. In this regard, however, in the course of connecting to cables, a connector not only has to manifest basic satisfactory electrical connection characteristics, but the connector body also has to feature a specific bonding stress. However, due to various extrinsic factors, the connector is likely to get loosened after long-term use to not only cause the cables to separate from each other and thereby cause their electrical connection to fail, but also pose a safety risk. Furthermore, in attempt to fix connected cable connectors in place, the industrial sector develops different types of sockets and plugs; however, due to specification-related limitations, a type of plugs can match a single type of sockets only.
Referring to FIG. 10, not only does a conventional socket seldom meet the high-efficiency and multifunction requirements expected by a modernized industrial society, but the conventional socket is also likely to undergo material fatigue and structural wear after long-term use and thereby deteriorate its tight-fitting matching function. Hence, it is imperative to provide a cable connector which is multifunctional, easy to operate, easy to repair, and highly efficient. Referring to FIG. 11, U.S. Pat. No. 7,727,021B2 discloses connector having a plug, a socket, and a tubular shield member with an elastic arm, wherein the connector comprises a plug 10. The plug 10 comprises a plug main body 11, a plurality of pin terminals 20, a plug holder 40, a coil spring 49, a slip-out preventing member 45, a socket 60 which comprises a socket main body 61, a plurality of socket terminals 70, and a socket holder 90. The plug 10 can be either inserted into a socket free of a caulking portion or coupled to the socket 60. To connect the plug 10 to a socket free of a caulking portion, it is necessary that the external threads of the plug 10 mesh with the internal threads of the socket free of a caulking portion. To connect the plug 10 to the socket 60, it is necessary to insert an engagement nail 47 of the slip-out preventing member 45 of the plug holder 40 of the plug 10 into a caulking portion 84 and a recessed portion 83 in the inner cavity of the socket holder 90, compress the coil spring 49, and couple the plug holder 40 and the socket holder 90 together firmly under a resilient thrust exerted by the coil spring 49. The pin terminals 20 of the plug main body 11 are electrically connected to the socket terminals 70 of the socket main body 61. Hence, a connector applicable to two types of sockets is attained. However, the cable connector comprises a coil spring which functions as a switching and snap-engaging structure. After long use, the coil spring undergoes resilience failure or displacement and thus results in deterioration of coupling stress, thereby losing the switching and snap-engaging function. Furthermore, after the connector has got loosened, power transmission interruption is likely to occur, thereby posing a safety risk. Moreover, the coil spring is disposed in an inner cavity of the plug and thus renders it inconvenient to assemble, install, disassemble, and repair the cable connector, thereby failing to meet the requirements of convenience and high efficiency.
Accordingly, it is imperative to provide a cable connector with a switching structure such that the cable connector is hermetically sealed, fixed in place, prevented from loosening, easy to connect and assemble, convenient to change, repair, and disassemble, easy to operate, and for use in engaging with two different types of M12 sockets.